All Downhill...

"My face is burning because of the frozen-ness."  -B.A.

Another 96 minutes to get all the gear on.  And we were only sledding for about 45 minutes.  I thought I would just be able to stand at the top of the hill and watch, but Mads couldn't walk up by himself.  The snow was already packed, and it was slippery.  He would take about 10 steps, then slide down even farther.  So I ended up carrying him up.  Work-out #2 for the day.  The first was shoveling snow.  Thanks for the help Cody!  

These are the kind of days where I love being a mom the most.  They enjoy themselves so much, and it is so fun to watch.  Mads even tumbled a few times.  It didn't even phase him.  He even got tired of waiting for the sled, and just slid down the hill on his butt.  Dare would slide down on her tummy without a sled.  Of course they didn't want to go home, but it was getting dark, and Nate had beef noodle soup waiting for us at home.  He is such a good house wife.

下雪

                                                         

This was when the sun shined for about 30 minutes the day after Christmas.  There was already tons of snow, and it just kept coming.  It only took us 96 minutes to get all their gear on.  Not really, but almost.  As soon as I opened the door to free them, Rhon fell flat and made snow angels.  Mads tried to copy her.  He got stuck.
                       

Of all the kids, B.A. has the most endurance for it.  She will stay out there for hours.  Even if she is by herself.  She was the last one in today too.
                                                       

What is better than making your mark in freshly fallen snow?  I know, staying inside and watching.
                         

G didn't want to stay inside.  I promised him he wouldn't like it once he was actually out there.  I think he believed me.  Every time the door opened, he would reach out and grab some snow and eat it.  Look how red his hands are!
                                           

Good times.

Back to the 24th

On Christmas Eve we had fondue for dinner.  I know this is out of sequence, but these pictures deserved a post of their own.  We have been planning this dinner for a long time.  We have been talking it up to get the kids excited.  They were... all day.  It was really fun to have something special to look forward to that night.  And it didn't disappoint.  The cheese fondue was delicious!  We had bread, vegetables, and some meat to dip.  I think the kids got sick of the cheese after a while.  It was pretty rich, but I loved it.  

Then for dessert we had chocolate fondue.  Oh man, was it a hit!  We dipped fruit, cake, pretzels, and our homemade marshmallows.  It was lots of fun, and very memorable.

I like this shot of Mads sticking his whole hand in his mouth.

Okay... who thinks he looks like Brandon Flowers here?

Rockin'

Christmas Eve is on my list of favorite days of 2008 too.  We started off finishing the treats for neighbors, then tried to deliver them before everyone left for the day.  Those are the ginger snaps we make every year, and Nate is putting jam in the thumbprint cookies we also make every year.  This year we tried homemade marshmallows.  They were a huge hit!  I might not be able to eat the kind from the store anymore.  My holiday wouldn't have been complete without pistachio brittle.  Mmmm.

Who on our street was singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"?  Because whoever it was should come over and shovel the 18 inches of snow we got on our driveway!  Just kidding, but seriously, that was a lot of freakin' snow.  We woke up on Christmas morning to the electricity being out.  It had been out for a couple hours and didn't turn back on until about 10:20.  Our house went down to 63 degrees!  So we unwrapped presents in our hoodies and blankets.  I felt bad for the electric guys that had to go to work on 

Christmas morning.  The kids were thrilled with all their presents.  Mads really got into it this year, which was fun.  And G was completely NOT into it.  I don't think he opened one present.  He was pretty interested in the new toys though.

I call this our Star Wars Clone Wars Christmas.  The four oldest are way into the Clone Wars, so we got them Jedi robes and Blasters.  G got a light saber because he didn't have one yet.  He likes anything he can hit people with.  Nate and I got Rock Band.  Wait... haven't I had that for a few months now?  Haven't you heard about that Santa who comes in August?  He brought us our Wii last year around that time too.  Good Santa.

Merry Christmas! 

I don't know how my pictures got all screwed up, but I can't fix them.

Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra

Looks like Mads is suffering from a bit of "frozen face".

As a kid I remember going to temple lights and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.  I can't decide if that was because the lights at the Arizona Temple were better, or if it was just because I was a kid and everything seemed cool.  This was the first year we ventured out in the cold and tried it out.  Yes, we have been here for 8 Christmases now, but it is cold here!  The kids seemed to like it, but I'm trying to decide if it was worth it.  It that bad?  There were a few cool trees to see, but it was a long drive and a cold walk.  And when it started to get crowded, I went into keep track of kids mode, and nothing is fun while counting to 5 constantly.  That being said, this was one of my favorite days of 2008.    

Gingerbread houses

            

        

                                     

I just have to say, yes I bought these.  And man was it worth it!

I have made our gingerbread houses every year since we started the tradition on B.A.'s first Christmas.  I make the dough, roll it out just right (not too thick, but not too thin), cut each piece, and bake them.  It always smells so good, and the house has such a personal touch.  This year I saw these kits at Costco.  The first few times I saw them, I passed.  I couldn't really see a reason for buying them.  But as time started running out, and the 'to do' list started getting longer, I decided it was worth the extra money to save me some time.  And I was right!  Even after I bought them I thought it would be a one-time thing.  Next year I will be on top of it, and make them again.  Then I opened the package, and put it together.  It was so easy, and it was done in 15 minutes.  And the houses are cuter than I could ever manage.  They don't really smell like gingerbread.  More like graham crackers.  But I still think it was worth it.

I don't think I'll ever make them again.  Sad.  But not too sad.

P.S.  There are no pictures of G, but I will tell you what he was doing.  Screaming.  So I would pick him up and he would dive for the candy.  I would manage to take most of the dangerous candies away from him, and then I would put him back down.  When he was done eating the stolen candy, he would scream and we would start the whole process over again.

Extra

                                             

Winter is finally here.  I took this from my window, because I am too wussy to go outside.

 

Only one more regular day, then everyone is on break.  Even Nate!

My new favorite thing Mads says is "so bad".  Everything he says is followed by "so bad."  He has to go pee "so bad".  He needs a drink "so bad".  He wants to play with toys "so bad".  He wants to have a snack "so bad".  And he says it in an expressive, and mildly pitiful way.

                                              

                                             

Dare is the perfect big sister for Mads.  If you know him, you know that he is not fond of being away from me.  He has to go to Grandma's tomorrow so I can go to school.  When I was talking to him about this, he began to cry.  She picked him up so she could see him eye to eye.  She then explained how fun it is there, and told him all about the toys she has.  She really loves both of her brothers.

G loves kisses.  He likes to give multiple kisses at a time.  He will give you 2 or 3 and then on the last one, at the last minute, he will bend his head down and whack you with his forehead.  Then he'll try to give you another kiss.  No way.  I won't have it after that. 

                                        

                                               

This picture reminds me so much of Nate after snowboarding.  Minus the snot.  Well, sometimes Nate has snot.

Rhon has been asking a lot of questions about kissing.  Oh heavens, what am I going to do?

We've been doing a 12 days of Christmas activity.  We made stockings for each day, and inside has a song to sing, a scripture to read, and an activity or treat.  

This is why I will be doing all the shoveling of snow, and the taking of trash to the curb.  Probably for the next couple months.  

                                             

Light weight!

Missing

     Calling Dad.

She's so beautiful.

Oreo... Ike It

I took 6 kids to the store today.  B.A. said she was sick this morning, (faker!) and I didn't feel like making Rhon go, so they were home from school.  I am amused because I got more than the normal amount of looks.  One lady in the produce section kept staring.  You could tell she was counting them in her head.  And she looked slightly shocked.  I guess our life would be even more egregious if I had 6 kids in 6 years.  It was funny though.  And they were so good.  I only had to tell one of them (Dare, of course) to stay by me.  But seriously, you should have seen all the heads we turned.  

I bought Oreos.  These are an extra special treat in our house, since we never have them.  When we got home, we cracked them open.  I was watching B.A. and I couldn't help laughing.  She has a dangling tooth.  She looks more like a hillbilly than when G did, when he only had one tooth on top.  She looks like she is wearing those fake teeth you get at Halloween time.  I was having the time of my life watching and laughing at her.  At one point Rhon said, "You sure are making Mom happy."  Man, it was a good time.  Now I just want to yank the thing out.  It is pretty sick.

While I was waiting for the pictures to load, I pulled it out.  I can tell I am getting tougher about this as I get more experience.  I just grabbed it, told her to raise her hand if it hurt to bad, and yanked.  It was like plucking an apple from a tree.  I didn't even have to look away.  Piece of cake.  But I don't want to do it ever again.

She is hilarious.  She was doing little jigs, and humming.  She wanted to call Dad right away.  I can imagine what a relief it must be.   

5 for Almost Killing His Mom

Why play with toys when you can throw them down the stairs?  Stinker!

I almost broke my neck last night tripping over a book that was on the stairs.  I know who the culprit was.  I didn't even have to ask.  And yes, he cleans out my cabinets and throws everything downstairs.  I have a story about mushrooms too, but I am still mad about it, so it will have to wait.

December 8th

This Monday was not just like any other Monday.  

Okay, for the most part it was, but I took some fun pictures anyway.  

 

It snowed pretty much all day.  There was 2-3 inches by evening.  Dare was too excited to wait until there was actually enough to play in, but I think if the grass is frozen enough, you can still sled down our little hill in the backyard.  That's Jack, by the way.

I think Mads just slid down the sled instead of the sled sliding down the hill.  He seems pleased anyway.

What is better than a picture of a boy in a girl's beanie with his ears pushed down?  A picture of a boy in a girl's beanie with his ears pushed down AND chocolate pudding all over his face.  Man, it doesn't get much better than that!

Mads trying to eat his dinner with mittens on.  This was just before he put a pea up his nose.  What is with boys and shoving things up their noses?  Why is it that when they see a small spherical shaped object, their first thought is to stick it in their nasal passageway?    

I saved the best for last.  

Nate and I found this after the kids went to bed.  We were trying to decide which Care Bear this was.  Is it Vato Ninja Bear who is ready to eat at a moments notice?  Or is it Crazy Lunch Lady Bear who is a ninja in her spare time? Either way, I think it's my favorite Care Bear.  Where was it when I was younger? Was it on the cartoon? Maybe it was just Sunshine Bear back then, young and innocent, before the hardships of life took their toll.  This is Dare's work, by the way. I like the plastic fork tucked in the belt.  Not sure why she put it there, but it really sets off the whole ensemble nicely, no?

We got some good news tonight, so for FHE we went to Sonic to celebrate.  Why not have an icy treat on a freezing cold snowy day?  We sang Christmas songs in the car.  I loved how we just made up the words to Frosty the Snowman, as we were practically sliding off the road, all the while, drinking fruity slushes.

This day makes me smile.